Mushroom death: 3 people die with symptoms of poisoning after family lunch in Australia

Three guests died of poisoning less than a week after a family lunch in Australia. The main hypothesis of the homicide investigation is poisoning by ingestion of the death hat mushroom, popularly known as “green hemlock”.

Erin Patterson served the meal to her former in-laws and her mother-in-law’s sister and husband, who were guests at her home in the southern Victorian town of Leongatha on July 29, according to local police.

Within days, Gail Patterson, 70, and her sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, died in hospital, followed by Gail’s husband of 70 years, Don, a day later.

Wilkinson’s husband, 68-year-old reverend and fourth guest, remains in hospital in serious condition.

The deaths shocked the small town. In recent days, parishioners of Korumburra Baptist Church have gathered to pray for the recovery of their reverend, who reportedly needs a liver transplant.

Together, the towns of Leongatha and Korumburra are home to just over 10,000 people, according to the latest census.

On Monday (7), in a conversation with local media outside her home, Erin Patterson wept and denied any wrongdoing.

“I am devastated. I loved them. And I can’t believe this happened and I’m so sorry,” the 48-year-old suspect told reporters.

At a news conference, Detective Inspector Dean Thomas of the Victoria Police Homicide Squad said Monday that Patterson is a suspect because she cooked the meal and is the only adult at the lunch who has not fallen ill.

He said Erin Patterson had split from her husband Simon, who lost both of his parents, but described their relationship as “amicable”.

The former couple’s two children were also at the lunch, he added, but had a different meal and showed no signs of illness.

“We have to keep an open mind about this. It can be very innocent,” Thomas said. “But again, we just don’t know at this point. Four people show up and three of them pass away, with another criticism, so we have to work on that.”

Patterson was not charged with the deaths.

“Extremely poisonous” mushrooms are the main suspect

The symptoms displayed by Patterson’s guests are consistent with toadstool poisoning, Thomas said, although toxicology reports still don’t show exactly what they consumed.

The Victoria Department of Health issued a warning about death hat mushrooms in April, describing them as “extremely poisonous”. The agency listed the symptoms, which include severe stomach pains, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

“Even if the initial symptoms go away, severe liver damage that could result in death may have occurred,” the warning said.

Native to Europe, the mushrooms were first found in Australia in the 1960s and almost always grow near introduced trees, i.e. oak trees, according to the Royal Botanical Gardens of Victoria.

It is not clear where the mushrooms eaten for lunch at Leongatha came from, or what type they were. Toxins in Death Hat Mushrooms cannot be destroyed by boiling, cooking, freezing or drying and ingestion of even a small portion can lead to death.

When asked by reporters what meal she had prepared, Patterson did not respond, instead retreating into her home and asking to be left alone.

Police said they searched Patterson’s home on Saturday and seized several items for forensic testing. Local media reports suggested a dehydrator was found in a nearby rubbish dump, although police have not elaborated on specific items.

“Obviously, many of the items we seized will be tested in hopes of shedding some light on what went down at lunch,” Thomas said.

As police work to confirm what Patterson’s guests ate, they are urging people to stay away from wild mushrooms.

“I ask people in the community to think about the mushrooms they may have picked in paddocks, farms, whatever. Please think about whether you should eat them,” Thomas said.

“My suggestion is if you didn’t get them from a supermarket or something, maybe stay away from them.”

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